Meghalaya: NPP Leader Criticises Congress For Failing To Take Action To Lift Prohibition On Coal Mining

SHILLONG: On Sunday, January 15, the National People's Party (NPP) criticised the Congress party for not taking any effective action to overturn the coal mining prohibition, which had stopped the state's most significant source of revenue generating. W R Kharlukhi, the leader of the NPP, added that after the Supreme Court removed the ban in July 2019, the party is putting up every effort to start scientific mining of the mineral.

"Coal mining was outlawed in our state in 2014 by the National Green Tribunal, which also mandated that Meghalaya adopt scientific mining. Since then, neither the federal nor state administrations have initiated any scientific mining in the state "W R Kharlukhi, state president of the NPP, remarked.

According to Kharlukhi, coal provides for the requirements of thousands of households, and one choice stripped them of their basic right to a living. He described the impact of the ban as "depriving the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council and the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council of their principal source of revenue." For almost a year, neither council could pay its employees. "

The cess from coal for education could not be collected as a result of the ban. He continued, "For months, the Education Department, which mainly depends on cess money, was unable to pay teachers' salaries, leading to many protests and strikes.

According to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on January 11, the scientific coal mining procedure, appeals, and applications that need to be approved are at a highly advanced stage.

He responded to charges from the opposition that the state administration did not want to start or permit legal coal mining in Meghalaya by saying that the scientific mining plan that needs to be approved was at a very advanced level with the centre.

Mining was stopped in 2014 while Mukul Sangma served as the chief minister, and Sangma said, "The opposition politicians are forgetting that it was stopped during their time." Although we are unsure of what he accomplished in the five years after mining was abandoned, it was this government that was successful in petitioning the Supreme Court to reverse the restriction.

Also read: RRR: SS Rajamouli wins the Critics' Choice Award for "Best Foreign Film"

Also watch: